Is leaving the service the right thing for me to do?
This question poses a dilemma for military service members when they reach a financial impasse in their military careers — typically at 20 years in the armed forces — to stay in the military or get a civilian job.
“It really is a case-by-case thing, but I think the thing that surprises most people is you can’t just look at the salary differences,”… Full Article

Are you separating from the armed services or have you recently separated, but you don't have a post-military job lined up yet? You might be able to receive unemployment benefits to help keep you afloat until you are able to land a job.
The Unemployment Compensation for Ex-servicemembers (UCX) provides financial benefits to ex-military personnel who qualify. Here's a quick rundown of what it entails.
Who Qua… Full Article

It's time to start worrying about smartphone security.
Your smartphone is full of personal and professional information that cyber crooks would love to get their hands on. Mobile banking and other phone-based financial services are becoming increasingly popular – 39 percent of smartphone users use mobile banking, according to 2015 study done by the Federal Reserve.
Yet most smartphones are completely unpr… Full Article

Aaron Dykstra passed the down time on the flight line by imagining his life building bikes. More specifically, he wanted to build bike frames, the integral series of metal tubes that makes up a bike.
“I spent a lot of time mapping out real basic stuff,” said Dykstra, a six-year Air Force veteran from the 94th Fighter Squadron. The wheels of his future business were already spinning in his head.
With the exc… Full Article

A recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report shows that the average cost to maintain an active duty soldier is now $99,000 a year, a 31 percent jump between 2000 and 2014. The continual increase is mainly caused by the increasing costs for military personnel, and operation and maintenance.
The Department of Defense has been scrambling to cut costs, but the report predicts that it’s not going to be enoug… Full Article

Finding a job in today’s economy can be tough for anyone. For American military veterans, however, it can prove especially daunting. With numerous industries to choose from, finding a good starting point can be the hardest task of all. The good news is that certain industries are particularly good at utilizing military skill sets and will make the transition back into the civilian workplace easier.
Here are a fe… Full Article

The 12 months leading up to a home purchase can be extremely stressful. From the preapproval process to the signature on the dotted line, it's a timeline cramped with intricate decisions that ultimately influence one of the most substantial purchases a person will make in his or her lifetime.
Some of these are more insignificant details, while others can be of major concern. However, when it comes to decisions tha… Full Article

With the vast amount of information provided by users on social media websites, it’s no surprise that companies are starting to figure ways to not only market to us, but also use this data to evaluate our risk as borrowers and our finances.
There is a strong correlation between how we behave personally and how we behave with our finances. The people we spend time with, our shopping habits and even our location d… Full Article

Aside from cash, checks were the most common form of payment for much of the 20th century. In fact, using checks for everyday consumer payments was so popular that "check" became virtually synonymous with "payment other than cash." Balancing the checkbook also became routine procedure, as consumers would compare the figures in their checkbook registers against those in the statements that arrived in the mail each mon… Full Article

Identity theft is on a frightening rise, and the most vulnerable group of victims might surprise you: children ages 6 to 11.
It's a "startling and disturbing" finding from Child Identity Theft, a recent Carnegie Mellon University study that claims children are targeted as much as 51 times more often than adults.
"Wouldn’t you want to know your child was in foreclosure on a home in another state? Wouldn’t… Full Article

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